colwell



2 SheetsSheet 1. A. W. GOLWELL.

FURNACE FOR THE. COMBUSTION 0F WET FUEL.

Patented Dec. 9, 1884.

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A. W. OOLWELL.

FURNACE FOR THE OOMBUSTION 0F WET FUEL. No. 308,951. Patented Dec. 9, 1884.

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AUGUSTUS IV. OOLWELL, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

FURNACE FOR THE COMBUSTION OF WETFUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,951, dated December 9, 1884.

Application filed June 28, 1884.. (No model.)

To CLZZ "Lu/1,0722, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Aneusrrus WARREN COLWELL, a resident of New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented an Improved Furnace for the Combustion of Vet Fuel, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of my improved furnace. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section of the same, taken the right hand portion on the plane of the line 0 c, Fig. 1, the middle portion on the plane of the line 70, Fig. 1, and the left-hand portion on the plane of the line (1 q, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 0 7, Fig. 1.

This invention relates to a new furnace which is specially adapted to consume wet fuel. In fact, the more particular purpose for which the furnace is intended is to burn up the bagasse or pressed cane direct from the mill in which the same is pressed.

I-Ierctofore the bagasse or spent cane after having been pressed to yield up its juices, was usually exposed to a special drying process before it could be utilized as fuel in the furnace. The drying process was tedious, and kept quite a number of hands occupied, who, if such process is unnecessary, can now he put to other Work. In addition the spent bagasse occupied much valuable room while it underwent this drying process. Again,

, the bagasse while lying on the ground to be dried is liable to get wet from sudden showers. In this case people are called from the fields to save it, which involves a loss of from two hours to half a day, and if the bagasse gets wet the whole operation in the sugarhouse is stopped until it has been made dry. Moreover, the alternate wetting and drying of the bagasse affects its caloric properties most unfavorably.

By the use of my invention the bagasse can be taken directly from the mill and deposited in the furnace as fuel, the furnace being specially adapted to the combustion of wet fuel, it being provided with a passage for conducting heated-air into the fire-chamber, so that the steam arising from the wet fuel will at once be mixed with oxygen, and become part of the fuel or heat generating substance in the furnace. \Vet fuel properly burned yields more heat than the same fuel dried.

The invention consists in the new construe: tion of furnace, and in its combination with means by which it can receive and consume the bagasse or other wet fuel, all as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, the letter A represents a frame erected near the furnace, which, on suitable rollers, a a, carries an endless band or chain, B, which band or chain extends from the mill in which the cane is pressed to the furnace, and which for ordinary uses will be carried past more than one furnace. On this endless chain or band B, which travels in the direction to convey whatever load be placed on it from the mill to the furnace, is deposited the spent cane or bagasse, which is then carried along until it arrives opposite a furnace that requires fuel. The frame supports two rails, mm, that extend upward along the sides of the endless chain or band B and prevent the bagasse which is being carried on the latter from falling off sidewise; but at the place where the furnace is located the rails m next the furnace have on each side movable sections a, which are pivoted or hinged so that they can be swung into the position that is indicated for one of these sections by dotted lines in Fig. 2that is, across the path of the endless chain. The endless chaiu traveling along in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, while this gate a is swung across it, all the bagasse on it will he carried against this gate and will be shunted off or slid sidewise off the endless hand upon the platform 0, that has one or more feed-openings, 12, leading to the furnace. When the furnace has been supplied to the proper extent, the attendant standing on the platform 0 must close the gate a, and the bagasse on the carrier B will naces being entirely automatic so soon as the gates n have been opened. Each furnace has, by preference, two or more feed-openings, 19, (three being shown in Fig. 2,) to which the bagasse can be directed by opening the proper -nel wider at the top than at the bottom.

gate a. The bagasse placed on the platform 0 passes through the opening p into the supplyfunnel G, which is wider at its lower than at its upper part, so that the bagasse will not choke said funnel'during its passage to the furnace, which it would be apt to do were the fan- 1e drawings show three such funnels leading to the same furnace, but a greater or less number may be employed. \Vhen the fire-place of the furnace to which a funnel, 0, leads has received a proper supply of bagasse, the funnel is made to retain the balance of its charge by inserting therein a rod or rods, D. These rods, of which three are shown in Fig. 2, are pulled out while the funnel is feeding, and are afterward pushed through the funnel, so as to support whatever fuel is above them, leaving what is beneath to pass to the fire-place. Being pointed rods, they can be pushed through the fuel which is contained in the funnel, and differ in this respect from ordinary slides. \Vhen the fire-place requires further fuel, the rods D are pulled out and the supply in the funnel can beimmediately utilized. The funnel 0 may also have a gate, a", which when opened will give access to its interior for purposes of repair, cleaning, or the like, and also for the purpose of removing, if desired, what ever bagasse rests on the rods D. It would also serve the use of a fire door in case wood is used for starting up the fire or for other purposes. The bagasse, after having passed through the funnel C, enters the'fire space or chamber E of the furnace. The bottom of this fire-space is composed of inclined wallsF G,in three or more diverging pairs, each of said inclined walls being grooved from the upper to the lower end, as appears more clearly from Figs. 3 and i, in which I) b are the grooves, and d (1 the intervening ribs. The grooves b constitute draft dines-that is to say, into the lower parts of the grooves b b are forced, through nozzles c e from pipes f f, currents of air or steam. The nozzles e c are inclined in varying directions, as shown in Fig. 1.. At the places where these ribbed walls F G approach each other, near the lower ends, are grates H, beneath which may be ash-pits I. The fuel drops through each funnel 0 upon one of these grates and leans on the grooved walls F G. Air-channels being produced by the grooves 11, the fuel will always be in contact with oxygen, which will assist combustion. The jets of air thrown into the grooves by the nozzles e will still further assist combustion. Alarge surface is produced by grooving the wallsF G for the radiation of heat from the superheated walls, which admits of burning a large quantity of bagasse. The tubes f, being above the grates H, are heated, and throw heated jets of air into the grooves Z). By preference the boilers and furnaces are ranged in pairs, with a passage-way between them. The products of combustion from the fire-chamber E pass through hollow arch P into a channel, K, whichis beneath the boiler L. In this channel K are erected the perforated walls J, which divide said channel into several combustion-ch ambers. From the channel K the products of combustion pass through the fines t t of the boiler L into a passage, a, and thence abovethe boiler to the chimney M, a suitable damper or dampers, N, being employed in one or more of these passages, if desired. The water in the boiler L is converted into steam, which can be utilized in the usual manner. The roof of the passage K next the hollow arch P has apertures g g, which lead directly into the chamber that contains the boiler, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1 and on the left-hand portion of Fig. 3. Through passages c, which begin in the side walls of the inclosure containing the boiler, fresh air passes from the outside in the hollow walls along the sides of the boiler to the hollow arch 1?,

which separates the fire-space E from the chamber K, which arch, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, contains series of perforations w on the side which faces the chamber K, to let the air thus heated into the chamber K, where it mingles with the moist gases or steam arising from the bagasse and assists materially in the combustion.

If desired, steam-jets may be let into the space below the grates, to assist in the combustion, and steam-jets may also be let into the chamber E. The passages 11 can be fully understood by reference to Figs. 3 and 1, they being shown in Fig. 8' in full cross-section, while in Fig. 1 they are indicated by dotted lines.

I claim- 1. The endless carrier 13, combined with mechanism for moving it, with the rails m, hinged rail section or sections a, and with a furnace having fuel-supply opening or opening-s1), substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination of the furnace with the funnel G, for supplying it with wet fuel, and with the movable pointed rods D D, for intercept-ing the supply of fuel, substantially as described.

3. The funnel 0, combined with fire-chamber E, rods D, and gate r, said gate being above said rods, substantially as herein shown and described.

at. In a furnace for burning wet fuel, the combination of the funnel C, fire-chamberE, inclined walls F G grate H, hollow arch 1?, having perforations 10, with the air-channels v, and combustion-passages K, t, and a, all arranged substantially as herein shown and described.

5. In a furnace for consuming wet fuel, the fire-chamber E, having converging walls F G, said converging walls being constructed to form alternating ribs d and grooves b, said grooves serving as diverging draft-fiues,substantially as herein shown and described.

6. In a furnace for consuming wet fuel, the combination of the converging walls F G, having draft-channels b b on their inclined faces,

with the nozzles e e and pipes f above the I This specification of my invention signed by grates, substantially as specified. me this 19th day of February, 1884:.

7. The fire-chamber E in combination with r the hollow perforated areh P and combustion I AUGUS BUS COLVELL' 5 chamber K, having perforated partitions J' J W'itnesses:

and apertures g g in its roof, substantially as WVILLY G. E. SCHULTZ,

; JOHN M. SPEER.

herein shown and described. 

